Dry box apparatus



Aug- 23, 1966 w. H. VAN GAASBEEK 3,267,83o

DRY BOX APPARA'I'US Filed June 22, 1964 il T165 INVENTOR -10 UMLUAM HVANGAASBEEK ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3.267,830 DRY BOX APPARATUS William H. Van Gaasbeek, 23 Park St., Orange, NJ. Filed June 22, 1964, Ser. No. 37 6,854 4 Claims. (Cl. 98-1) The present invention relates to new and novel dry box apparatus, and more .particularly to dry box apparatus including a novel means for purging air from the interior of the apparatus during use.

Dry box apparatus, sometimes referred to as a glove box, is commonly used for example in the electronic industry when employing miniaturization techniques, and also in the pharmaceutical industry wherein it is desired to perform certain Operations in a particular atmosphere. The desired atmosphere is provided by so-called dry gas, this dry gas being of such a nature as to provide the desired atmosphere having suitable characteristics for the operation to be carried out. In a typical example, the dry gas may comprise air which has been passed through a suitable desiccant and filtered to remove moisture and impurities, or the gas may comprise nitrogen or argon and the like.

An important feature of the present invention is the novel arrangement which facilitates purging of air within the apparatus. The arrangement of the present invention purges the air within the apparatus more rapidly than is the case with conventional dry box apparatus, and a novel combination of structural features cooperates to vaccomplish this end result.

Firstly, the body means of the apparatus is of a novel configuration including a flat base portion which can rest upon a suitable supporting surface, the body means including a substantially cylindrical side Wall portion and a dome-shaped upper portion. The central bottom part of the dry box apparatus is open so that it can be simply dropped over the work onto a suitable supporting surface such as a conventional laboratory workbench and the like.

A gas inlet means is provided in a side Wall portion of the body means and includes an inlet passage which opens into the interior of the body means in a unique manner so as to impart a tangential upward swirl to the incoming gas into the dome-shaped upper portion of the body means. This is accomplished by providing an inlet passage which opens into the interior of the body means in a direction which is lobliquely away from the plane of the support surface of the base portion of the body means and which defines an angle of approximately 45 with respect to such plane. Also, this inlet pas- 'sage opens into the interior of Vthe body means in a direction which is substantially parallel to the adjacent inner surface of the body means. With this over-all arrangement, the incoming gas will travel upwardly away from the base portion and substantially parallel with the wall of the body means so as to cause a tangential up- Ward swirl of the incoming gas which is very effective in purging the air from the upper portion of the dry box apparatus and forcing it out of 'the lower open portion of the apparatus during the purging operation.

A further advantageous feature of the present invention is the fact that the body means may be simply lowered into place over top of a workpiece such that the bottom flat supporting surface of the body means rests directly on the upper surface of a laboratory workbench or the like. Accordingly, no additional fioor space is required when utilizing the apparatus, and furthermore the :apparatus can be stored on any suitable shelf and the like and does not require the utilization of any peri manent fioor space which is required with a conventional dry box.

3,27,830 Patented August 23, 1966 ICC In addition the body means of the present invention is formed completely of a transparent substance such as plastic so as to provide a maximum degree of visibility so that an operator can readily see exactly what is transpiring within the confines of the apparatus.

In addition, the over-all construction of the apparatus `according t-o the present invention is quite lightweight and economical, and yet at the same time is quite sturdy and reliable in use.

An object of the present invention is to provide new and novel dry box apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of dry box apparatus including novel gas inlet means mounted in a unique manner within a body means of particular configuration so as to facilitate purging of air within the apparatus and to speed up such purging Operations.

A further object of the invention is to provide dry box apparatus which can be utilized on the upper surface of a regular laboratory workbench and the like and which requires no additional fioor space for st'oring and the like.

Still another object of the invention is the .provision of dry box apparatus which provides good visibility from all angles and which is quite lightweight and economical in construction and yet which is sturdy and reliable in use.

Other objects and many attendant advantages of the invention will become more apparent when considered in c-onnection with the specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the dry box apparatus of the present invention;

PIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. l looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view taken substantially along line 4 -4 of FIG. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throug'hout the 'several views, a body means is indicated generally by reference numeral 10 and includes a base portion 12 having a flat under support surface 14 which is ad'apted to rest upon 'any suitable supporting surface. Support surface 14 lies substantially in a pl'ane and is of annular sha'pe to deifine a central opening or open bottom for the over-all body means.

I-t will be noted that the base portion 1-2 is of enlarged rthiclcness so as to actually define a laterally out'wardly ex'tending flange 'about the lower portion of the over-'all body means, this base portion being connected with a substantially cylindrical side wall portion 20 which in turn joins wi'th an integral dome-shaped or arcu'ate upper portion 22.

The body means is f'ormed xo-f a suitable tnansparenlt material such as plastic or the like whereby a maximum degree of visibility is provided to an operator whereby it'he Operations within 'the apparatus may be iobserved from 'all angles.

-A pair of access openings 30 an'd 32 are provided in the cylindrical side Wall portion of the body means, 'these access openings being generally circular and being circumferentially spaced about the outer surface of the cylindrical side Wall portion an angle of slightly greater than Annula-r members 34 and 36 are secured to the outer surface of the cylindrical side wall portion and about the access openings 30 'and 3'2 respeotively, members 34 and 36 being suitably mounted in operat-ive position as shown as by being fused or othenwise bonded to the cylindrical side 'wall portion, members 34 and 36 preferably being of a material similar to that of the body means.

Each of members 3'4 and 36 is provided with an annular groove indicated by reference numerals 34' and 36' respect'i'vely formed in the outer surface thereof, this anlnular groove senving to support the conventional gloves 40 and 42 in operative position. These gloves are adapted to receive the left and right hands respectively of an oper'ator vand are formed of a suitable substance such as heavy-duty rubber and the like, the gloves including enlarged peripheral portions 44 and 46 respectively formed vat the open ends thereof, these enlarged peripheral portions being tightly received within the grooves 34' and 36' for supporting the gloves in operative position and for providing a gas-tight seal between the gloves and the members 34 and 36. It will be a'pparent that any suitable means may be employed for suppor-ting the gloves in the oper-ative position shown with respect to the access openings in the body means. The gloves are of course of sufli'ciently flexible construction so as to permit ready manipulation of an article within the dry box apparatus.

A gas inlet fitting or means is indicated generally by reference numera-l 50 and includes an enlarged portion 54 which joins with a substantially cylindrical portion 516 of reduced cross-sectional dimension. The outer surface of the portion 56 is snugly received within an opening 58 provided in the cylindrical side wall portion 20y` of the body means, the fitting 50 being formed of a material similar to that of the body means and being suitably secured in operative position as being fused or otherwise bonded in position as desired.

Fitti-ng 50 is provided with a first bore portion 60 defining internal threads which receive external threads .formed on the outer end of a fitting 62 connected with a flexible conduit 6'4 which in lturn may be openatively connected with any suitable source of dry gas. As mentioned previously, this source of dry gas may comprise air which has been passed through a desiccant and a filter to remove moisture and impurities, or the source of dry gas may comprise nitrogen, argon or similar gases.

The threaded bore por-tion 60 is in communication with a further reduced bore portion 70 which extends longitudinally of the fitting. An inlet passage 72 opens at its inner end 74 into the chamber 70 and at its outer end 76 into the interior 'of the body means. The orientation of inlet passage 712 is such that it opens into the interior of the body means in a direction away from the plane of the support surface 114 and actually this passage defines an angle a as seen in F'IG. 4 of substantially 45, this 'angle being that which is defined between the axis of passa-ge 72 and the plane of the support 'surface 14 of the body means. Additionally, the inlet passage is so oriented that it discharges the gas into the interior of the body means in a direction which is substantially parallel to the adjacent inner surface of the body means.

The m'anner in which the gas is discharged into the interior of the lbody means is indic'ated 'by the arrows in EFIGS. 1 and 3, and it will be noted that the gas is discharged upwardly into the dome-shaped upper portion of the body means and in a direction substantially parallel With the inner side Wall of the body means thereby imparting a tangentialupward swirl to the incoming gas.

This particular movement of the gas is such that it serves to very efficiently and quickly purge the air from the upper portion of the body means forcing it downwardly and out around the outer'periphery at the base portion of the body means.

When i't is desired to ntilize the apparatus, a person first attaches the gloves 40 and 42 to the portions 34 and 36 and lolwers the body means over the work onto a suit- .able table or other flat surface. The dry gas is then allowed to bleed into the interior of the body means until the interior of 'the 'body means is purged. The fiow of dry gas can then be cut down and the work may be carried out. It has been found in actual practice that the dry box apparatus of the present invention can be purged quicker than a normal conventional dry box, and due to the dome-shaped configuration of the body means, vacuum can be u'tilized to assist in the purging operation.

It is of course readily apparent that any suitable source of dry gas may be readily connected to the body means by the utilization of a conventional iitting 62 having screw threads thereon. -In a like manner, the apparatus can be quiokly disconnected from a source of dry gas when it is desired to store the apparatus.

It is apparent that there is provided according to the present invention a new and novel dry box apparatus wherein the body means employs a novel configuration and the gas inlet means is oriented in a unique manner with respect to the shape of the body means so as to facilitate purging of air within the apparatus in a most efficient land rapid manner. The dry box apparatus of the present invention m'ay be utilized on any flat supporting surface such as a regular laboratory workbench, and no addit-ional permanent floor space is required for the apparatus which can be readily st'ored in any suitable location.

The transparent construction of the entire body means of the present 'inven'tion provides a maximum degree of lv'isibility, 'and the apparatus is quite lightweight and economical in construction, yet sturdy and reliable in use.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essent'ial characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. Dry box apparatus comprising a body means including a base portion having a support surface which lies substantialy in a plane, said base port-ion defining a central open bottom for the body means, the upper portion of the body means including a cylindrical side wall portion .and a dome-sh-aped top portion, access opening means formed in the side portion of said body means for ga'ining access to the interior of the body means, and gas inlet means mounted in the side Wall portion of said body means, said gas inlet means including an inlet passage which extends within the gas inlet means and opens into the interior of the body means in a direction extending obliquely away from the plane of said support surface :and substantia-lly parallel to the adjacent inner surface of the body means to impart a tangential upward swirl 'to the incoming gas.

2. Dry box apparatus comprising a body means which is substantially imperv'i'ous to gas and which includes a |substantially transparent portion for observing the interior of the body means, the body means including a base portion having a support surface which lies substantially in a plane, said body means including a substantially cylindrical side wall portion and a -dome-shaped top portion, access opening means formed in the side wall portion of said body means for gaining access to the interior of said body means, and gas inlet means mounted in the side wall portion of said body means, means for connecting said gas inlet means with a source of dry gas, said gas inlet means including an inlet passage which opens into the interior of the body means in a direction extending obliquely away from the plane of said support surface and also extending substantial'ly parallel to the adjacent inner surface of the body means to impart a tangential upward swirl to the incoming gas entering the body means.

3. Dry box apparatus comprising a body means which is substantially impervious to gas and which includes a 'substantial transparent portion for viewing the interior of the body means, said body means including a base portion having a support surface which lies substantially in a plane, said body means also including a substantially cylindrical side wall portion which joins with a substantially dome-sh'aped top portion, said cylindrical side 'wall portion having a plurality of access openings formed therein, means for mounting and sealing glove portions 'about said access openings, gas inlet means mounted in the side wall portion of said body means opposite said access openings, said gas inlet means including means for connecting the gas inlet means with a source of dry gas, said gas inlet means including an inlet passage which opens into the interior of the body means in a direction extend'ing away from said plane of the support surface and defining an angle of approximately 45 with respect thereto, said inlet passage also opening into the interior of said body means in a direction extending substantially parallel to the adjacent inner surface of the body means to impart a tangential swirl of the incoming gas upwardly into the dome-shaped top portion of the apparatus.

4. Dry box apparatus comprising a transparent body means formed of plastic material and including a base portion having a support surface lying substantially in a plane, said base portion .being substantially annular in configuration and defining an open central bottom portion to said body means, said body means including a substantially cylindrical side wall portion joining with a substantially dome-shaped top portion, said body means having a pair of access openings formed in the side wall portion 'thereof, means to support gloves in gas tank relationship with respect to said access openings, said access openings being spaced a substantial distance from one another circum'ferentially of the cylindrical side wall portion, gas inlet means disposed within said side wall portion at the lopposite side lof said body means from said access openings and being spaced a substantial distance above said base portion, said gas inlet means including means accessible from the exterior of said body means for connecting the gas inlet means rwith a source of dry gas, said gas inlet means extending inwar-dly into the interior of said body means and having an inlet passage formed therein rwhioh opens into the interior of said body means in a direction substantially parallel to 'the 'ad'jacent inner surface of the body means land extending away from the plane of said support surface and defining an -angle of approxim'ately with respect to said support surface so `as to impart a tangential upwar-d swirl of the incoming gas toward the dome-sha'ped upper portion of the body means during operation of the apparatus.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,6'48,327 '8/1953 Gibbon 128-12 2,68 8,959 9/ 1954- Bmerson l28 l.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 905,649 9/1962 Great Britain.

MEYER PER'LIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. DRY BOX APPARATUS COMPRISING A BODY MEANS INCLUDIN A BASE PORTION HAVING A SUPPORT SURFACE WHICH LIES SUBSTANTIALLY IN A PLANE, SAID BASE PORTION DEFINING A CENTRAL OPEN BOTTOM FOR THE BODY MEANS, THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BODY MEANS INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL PORTION AND A DOME-SHAPED TOP PORTION, ACCESS OPENING MEANS FORMED IN THE SIDE PORTION OF SAID BODY MEANS FOR GAINING ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF THE BODY MEANS, AND GAS INLET MEANS MOUNTED IN THE SIDE WALL PORTION OF SAID BODY MEANS, SAID GAS INLET MEANS INCLUDING AN INLET PASSAGE WHICH EXTENDS WITHIN THE GAS INLET MEANS AND OPENS INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE BODY MEANS IN A DIRECTION EXTENDING 